Man At The Top: The Prime Of Life (ITV 11 Jan 1971, Katy Manning)

There are problems at home in the fourth episode of the series The Prime of Life, Susan thinks their 15 year old son Harry might be up to mischief but it turns out he has a girl friend in the shape of pretty 18 year old Julia. When she meets Joe though she decides a relationship with a much older man might be in order. Joe of course is never one to look a gift horse in the mouth but what is serious for Julia is just a bit of fun for Joe.

A more family less business centered episode, Katy Manning looks gorgeous as Julia, who turns both Joe and Harry’s heads, the whole supporting cast is quite interesting with a minor role for a very young Michael Kitchen as Harry’s school friend Trevor and Mark McManus giving us one of his dodgy accents again as a cockney paramour of Julia’s.

There is also a fabulous scene where Joe, having just had his way with Julia makes it plain just how it is and why he won’t be seeing her again.

classic quote“do you think I was born middle aged?”“what I want is comforts, I want to see my wife and children everyday, you’re a bit of crumpet…. I’m going home”

Hazell: Hazell and the Suffolk Ghost (ITV 31 May 1979, with Meg Davies)

In Hazell and the Suffolk Ghost our intrepid hero pays a visit to the seaside when an accountant, Peter Harlow, calls him in over a cottage he has been left in a will. He has no idea why he has been left the cottage but since he has taken over ownership more than a few strange things have been happening.

Hazell stays at the cottage for a few days and manages to find no small amount of comfort when Harlow’s wife Stephanie turns up (Harlow himself is in New York). Although there is clearly something spooky going on it’s definitely man made and it doesn’t take Hazell too long to work it out.

The episode was a rare outing outside of London for the series, it was filmed in the East Anglian village of Walberswick and surrounds. Although all the interiors were filmed in studio of coure.